First appeared in
Asian Development Bank
100 Climate Actions from Cities in Asia and the Pacific
Xiangtan is using a newly developed toolbox to enhance collaboration for climate change adaptation planning. In particular, the city is using the toolbox to become more flood resilient.
Xiangtan is using a newly developed toolbox to enhance collaboration for climate change adaptation planning. In particular, the city is using the toolbox to become more flood resilient.
The Xiangtan Climate Resilient City Toolbox is an interactive platform designed for a more collaborative approach to adaptation design. It can be used at design workshops by policymakers, planners, designers, and practitioners for informed decision-making of priority areas for climate resilience, defining requirements, setting adaptation targets, selecting specific interventions, and assessing effectiveness. More importantly, the use of the toolbox created a new culture of collaborative city planning within the Xiangtan Municipal Government, replacing the practice of working in silos and utilizing single sector-driven development and planning.
7.8K
M³ OF WATER STORAGE CAPACITY IDENTIFIED
A climate risk and vulnerability assessment was conducted in Xiangtan to create a customized toolbox for city planners. The toolbox contains information on the cost and effectiveness of 43 ecosystem-based adaptation solutions, which can be easily selected for a project area using the toolbox’s user-friendly interface.
The toolbox was used to help improve the flood resilience of Xiangtan’s First Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, by identifying ecosystem-based adaptation solutions that could provide 7,840 cubic meters (m3) of storage capacity to protect against flooding.
The project is funded as part of ADB’s project preparation technical assistance to prepare the Xiangtan Low-Carbon Transformation Sector Development Program loan project.
Xiangtan’s Adaptation Support Toolbox has been used for a number of projects including the designing floodproofing for the first Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital (photo by E-waters Environmental Science and Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.).
The Challenge
There are many existing guidelines for climate adaptation strategies, but this can be a maze for existing urban planners tasked with responding to location-specific risks.
Co-Benefits
Environment Ecosystem-based adaptation measures included in the Xiangtan Toolbox integrate the use of biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Economic Proper implementation of policies and projects tested with the toolbox is expected to increase real estate values and avoid economic loss induced by future flood events.
Health Accidents and the loss of lives due to flood events will be minimized in project areas.